1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a coin packaging device. More Particularly, it relates to a coin packaging device in which coins despatched in the prone state change their position to the upstanding state and in which a coin stack comprised of coins in an intimately contacted aligned upright state is transferred to a packaging section so that the coins can be packaged quickly and reliably without clogging or loss of coins.
2. Prior Art
Various systems have been proposed for coin packaging including a series of process steps such as coin transport, stacking and packaging, in connection with a coin packaging system. An illustrative example is shown in a Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 24803/1983 and shown herein in FIGS. 1 and 2.
Referring to these figures, coins 201 supplied on a rotating disk 200 in a hopper section are despatched one by one by the centrifugal force generated during rotation of the rotating disk 200. The coins are then transported sequentially on a coin transport channel 202 by a transport belt 231. During such transport, the coins 201 are passed through a sorting opening 204 formed by a stationary member 202a and a movable member 202b and only designated coins are guided into a coin collecting tube 207 via a coin count unit formed by a recess 206 in the stator gear 205. On the other hand, coins other than the designated coins that are dropped into the opening as the small diameter coins as a result of sorting on the channel 202 based on the coin diameter are guided to a reject section 208.
The designated coins guided in the coin collecting tube 207 are heaped on a shutter 209 provided at a lower position of the coin guide tube 207. At a lower position of the coin collecting tube 207, a plurality of packaging rolls 210, 211 and 212 are provided for rotation and separately in the vertically extending position. As the packaging rolls 210 to 212 are shifted in the bundle-forming direction relative to one another, a coin packaging section 213 is formed by a hollow portion.
Hence, when a predetermined number of, such as fifty, coins are heaped on the shutter 209, a coin holder 214 provided in the packaging section 213 so as to be movable vertically is raised to a position directly below the shutter 209. The shutter 209 is then opened to permit the heaped coins to descend on the coin holder 214.
Then, when the coin holder 214 starts to descend and the coin is disposed within the coin packaging section 213, the packaging rolls 210 to 212 defining the packaging station by a wide space width are moved relative to one another in a direction of narrowing the space width such that the coin packaging section 213 is converted from the state of wide space for introducing the coins thereto to the state of narrow width for clamping the coins.
The stacked coins guided into the coin packaging section 213 and clamped by the packaging rolls 210 to 212 are wrapped by a packaging paper sheet 217 with rotation of the packaging rolls 210 to 212 as the packaging sheet 217 is reeled out by a reelout unit, not shown, and is introduced into a space between the packaging rolls 210 to 212. The both wrapping sides of the packaging paper 217 are then tightened inwardly by pawl members 215a and 216a at the foremost parts of the paired arms 215 and 216 as these arms are moved to complete a series of packaging operations.
In the above described coin packaging device, the coins despatched from the rotating disk 200 of the hopper are thrusted and transported by a transport belt 231 guided by a plurality of rolls 230 provided on the coin transport passage 202. After coin sorting and counting are performed halfway on the transport belt 231, the coins are heaped in the coin collecting tube 207 via guide member 232 at the terminal end of the belt 231. However, when the coins are heaped in this manner as they descend by gravity, it may occur that the coins be injected in the upright condition as shown at 201a. In such event, it becomes impossible to heap a predetermined number of coins, so that the coins in the tube need be discharged as poorly stacked or clogged coins by an extremely complicated and time- and labor-consuming operation.
For avoiding such irregular heaping, it becomes necessary to switch the heaping tubes depending on the different coin diameters with different coin sorts or to use a complicated heaping tube formed by split members so as to enable the inside tube diameter to be changed as a function of the coin diameters. Also it becomes necessary to provide means for sensing the uppermost coin position in the tube as by a photosensor or checking for the possible presence of the upright coins. This results in an extremely complicated arrangement of the coin packaging unit and tremendous costs.
In addition, for transferring the coins from the tube 207 to the coin holder 214, the shutter 209 is opened to cause the heaped coins to descend on the coin holder 214 by gravity so as to be directly transferred to the packaging section 213. Hence, depending on the heaped state of the coins in the tube, the coins may become unbalanced due to the impact caused during descent so that the coins may be eventually lost. The same applies for the transfer of the coins to the coin packaging section.
Although not shown, means for guiding and transporting the stacked coins to the coin packaging section comprised of spacings between the packaging rolls and means for actuating the packaging rolls in a direction of narrowing the spacing widths of the coin packaging section are similarly extremely complicated in construction to increase the complexity of the coin packaging unit and the size of the device with corresponding increase in costs.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a coin packaging device in which coins despatched in the prone state change their position to the upstanding state and in which a coin stack comprises of coins in an intimately contacted aligned upstanding state is transferred to a packaging section for packaging so that the coins can be packaged quickly and reliably without clogging or loss of coins with reduction in size.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a coin packaging device for transferring and collecting coins despatched from a turntable, counting, transporting and packaging the coins by groups each containing a predetermined number of coins, said device comprising a coin position inverting section for changing the position of the coins despatched from the turntable from a prone position to an upstanding position, a coin collecting section having a coin collector/stacker for accommodating the coins in the intimately contacted aligned upstanding position, a transfer section for transferring said coin collector/stacker to a predetermined location and transferring the coins in the intimately contacted aligned upstanding position to a coin packaging section adapted for packaging the coins in the intimately contacting upstanding position.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a coin packaging device for transferring and collecting coins despatched from a turntable, counting, transporting and packaging the coins by groups each containing a predetermined number of coins, said device comprising a coin position inverting section for changing the position of the coins despatched from the turntable from a prone position to an upstanding position, a coin collecting section having a coin collector/stacker for accommodating the coins in the intimately contacted aligned upstanding position, a transfer section for clamping and transferring said coin collector/stacker to a predetermined location, and a coin packaging section supplied with the coins in the intimately contacted aligned upstanding position from said transfer section and adapted fro packaging the coins in the intimately contacting upstanding position, the coins being inverted in the positions by a three-dimensional curved surface in said coin position inverting section.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a coin packaging device for transferring and collecting coins despatched from a turntable, counting, transporting and packaging the coins by groups each containing a predetermined number of coins, said device comprising a coin position inverting section for changing the position of the coins despatched from the turntable from a prone position to an upstanding position, a coin collecting section having a coin collector/stacker for accommodating the coins in the intimately contacted aligned upstanding position, a transfer section for clamping and transferring said coin collector/stacker to a predetermined location, a coin packaging section supplied with the coins in the intimately contacted aligned upstanding position from said transfer section and adapted for packaging the coins in the intimately contacting upstanding position, and a tension roll section for transferring the coins from said coin position inverting section to said coin collecting section in a stably gripped state.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a coin packaging device for transferring and collecting coins despatched from a turntable, counting, transporting and packaging the coins by groups each containing a predetermined number of coins, said device comprising a coin position inverting section for changing the position of the coins despatched from the turntable from a prone position to an upstanding position, a coin collecting section having a coin collector/stacker for accommodating the coins in the intimately contacted aligned upstanding position, a transfer section for clamping and transferring said coin collector/stacker to a predetermined location, a coin packaging section supplied with the coins in the intimately contacted aligned upstanding position from said transfer section and adapted for packaging coins in the intimately contacting upstanding position, and a stacked coin presser arm for enabling the coins to be accommodated in said coin collector/stacker in said coin collecting section independent of the coin size.
In the coin packaging device of the present invention, the coins despatched in the prone position or horizontal position may be inverted by an inverting block member to an upright position and the coins in the upright position are stabilized in their transfer direction in a tension roll section and brought to an intimately contacted horizontally transversely juxtaposed position within a stacker in a standby state in the coin collecting section. The stacker is then shifted to a region in the coin packaging section by corresponding shifting means in the coin collecting section. A predetermined number of stacked coins in the intimately contacted aligned upstanding state may be clamped by pawls and transferred in the clamped state to a set of rolls making up the coin packaging section. As the stacker is returned to its starting position, the stacked coins are packaged in the coin packaging section and the stacked coins wrapped by a packaging paper has its both ends tightened by means of tightening pawls to produce the coin bar.
In the above described coin packaging device of the present invention, the following advantages are occurred.
(i) The coins despatched from the turntable in the prone position may be brought positively to the upstanding position in the coin position inverting section and accommodated in the coin collecting section in the upright position, so that the coins can be collected quickly and reliably in the upright position.
(ii) The stacked coins accommodated in the stacker of the coin collecting section may be shifted in their position by the shifting of the stacker and are transferred on the rolls of the coin packaging section with the both ends of the stacked coins clamped by the clamp section. Therefore, a predetermined number of the coins can be reliably packaged unless counting errors are made.
(iii) The coins are stacked and packaged in the upright aligned juxtaposed state so that the distance traversed by the coins can be reduced. Above all, coin movement in the vertical direction can be improved significantly as compared with the prior-art system, so that the device can be reduced in the longitudinal size to contribute to reduction in the overall size.